Sukeban gerira

This movie begins with four young women who belong to a gang known as "the Red Helmets" riding motorcycles from Tokyo to Kyoto with the idea of making a few bucks by pulling a few con jobs here and there. However, once they finally get to Kyoto they encounter an assembly of the female gang members living there who tell them to get out of town. This prompts the leader of the Red Helmets, "Sachiko Kiyami" (Miki Sugimoto) to challenge the leader of the Kyogoku Group named "Rika" (Ryoko Ema) to a fight--with the winner taking over everything. Although Sachiko wins the fight, she soon finds out that being a girl boss in Kyoto is much more difficult than than anything she expected. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this movie was pretty much a standard "Pinku Eiga" film made during this particular time in Japan but with the added benefit of having several attractive actresses like Emi Jo (as "Yuki"), Miwako Onaya ("Tatsumi"), Kyoko Tsukasa ("Kazuko") and the aforementioned Miki Sugimoto thrown in for good measure. In any case, all things considered I found it to be somewhat entertaining and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

I'm a great fan of Pinky Violence flicks, and "Sukeban Gerira" aka. "Girl Boss Guerilla" of 1972 is another sleazy and great example for this awesome Japanese Exploitation subgenre coming from the great Toei Studios. The film, which revolves around an all-female biker gang, stars two of Japanese Expoitation's greatest and most ravishing sirens, Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike in the leading roles, and once again features a lot of stylish sleaze that no Exploitation lover should consider missing. The beautiful and tough Sachiko (Miki Sugimoto)is the leader of the Shinjuku-based 'Red Helmet' biker girl gang. The tough girls, who have trade-mark tattoos on their breasts come to Kyoto in order to take over other girl gangs. After a while they get in trouble with the local Yakuza... While this is not necessarily one of the greatest Pinky Violence flicks I've seen (the absolute greatest of all are the "Joshuu Sasori" aka "Female Prisoner Scorpion" films with Meiko Kaji, and there are a number of other truly brilliant entries to the subgenre), it is definitely a very stylish one. Miki Sugimoto is once again stunningly beautiful and extremely cool in the leading role of tough girl Sachiko. So is fellow Exploitation goddess Reiko Ike, who plays Nami, a former gang leader who refers to herself as a 'lone wolf' and is the sister of a local Yakuza. Director Norifumi Suzuki is one of the most prolific directors in the field, most memorably with films like "Sex And Fury" of "Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom" in his repertoire, and he once again did a great Job with this little gem. "Girl Boss Guerilla" is very comedic in the beginning, and it gets very sleazy later. It is not nearly as gory as some other Pinky Violence flicks (such as "Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs", for example), but it gets pretty sadistic occasionally (as usual for the genre, there's quite some torture and lots of sweet revenge). A sleazy and immensely entertaining film, "Girl Boss Guerilla" comes along with a funky score, and stars two ravishing stars of Japanese cult-cinema, Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike. Miki and Reiko alone would be reason enough to see this film twice, and "Girl Boss Guerilla" even has a lot more to offer. Highly recommended to all my fellow Exploitation fans!

I'm really torn between this movie and Criminal Woman: Killing Melody, both of which are in the Pinky Violence box set. They're both really good, with the stories being similar (gangster girls go for revenge against the Yakuza who did them wrong) and they both have Miki Sugimoto and Reiko Ike. But I think this movie gets an edge, 'cause in this one the girls are part of a BIKER GANG. And the all have TATTOOS OVER THEIR LEFT BOOBS. Which is so effing cool.

Here we get Miki as the leader of a biker gang from Shinjuku who go to Kyoto and end up taking over the girl gangs there (the scene where the girls face off and do their gangster "who I am" speeches is really cool). Reiko Ike is running around as the sister of one of the local Yakuza and won't align herself with Miki and her crew but serves as kind of a "big sister"/authority figure to the girl gangs of Kyoto.

Eventually Miki and the girls get on the bad side of the local Yakuza boss and the girls hit the road to meet up with Miki's boyfriend, a boxer in training down the coast. He gets himself murdered by the Yakuza as a result and it becomes time for Miki and her crew to make up with Reiko and get down with some revenge.

What I really dig about these movies (as opposed to the "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" movies my boyfriend is always bringing home) is that the female leads have some dimension to them that you wouldn't normally expect in an "exploitation" film. I didn't really like Miki's character at first (she was bratty) but I actually felt it when her boyfriend got killed. Up till then she seemed kind of a like a one dimensional power junkie bitch with cool sunglasses, but watching her meet and fall for Michitaro Mizushimi and her grieving at his death filled her out and made her feel like an actual woman. You know, complicated and conflicted.

In fact, as an exception to "action" movies the one-dimensional characters in this film are all men. They're simply greedy or sadistic or horny. Which I'm not saying is a good thing. It's just a nice change of pace.

And did I mention the tough-ass tattoos?

Admittedly the Japanese exploitation cinema of 70's, and then particularly the so-called "Pinky Violence" movie trend, wasn't my personal biggest area of cinematic expertise but I've learned a lot in one week through watching a handful of classics. I even learned some Japanese, like I know that the term "Sukeban" means 'delinquent boss girl' and refers to a series of films revolving on untamed all-girl biker gangs and their fierce adventures. Less impressive than the contemporary WIP efforts (like the "Female Prisoner: Scorpion" series) and less virulent than the Yakuza flicks (like "Sex and Fury"), but definitely great entertainment and quintessential cult cinema!

"Girl Boss Guerrilla" introduces the bad-ass Red Helmet gang, led by the self-assured and insanely luscious Sachiko. The girls proudly expose their sexily tattooed left boobs and fill their days by making illegal money, like through blackmailing religious monks and stealing charity money meant for the victims of the Hiroshima bomb. See, it's little details like that what make films like "Girl Boss Guerrilla" so provocative, scandalous and shocking for the time & spirit in which they came out. The girls head from Tokyo to Kyoto, where Sachiko promptly takes over the leadership of a local girl biker gang. This is naturally settled through a cat-fight where shirts are torn to shreds and eyes are nearly scratched out. Halfway through the film, Sachiko falls in love with an amateur boxer and the gang runs continuously in conflict with the male Yakuza criminals until war and deadly vengeance become inevitable.

This is another terrific Pinky Violence "classic" that has it all. There's plenty of kinky sex and turbulent violence, but particularly the demented sub plots and bizarre flashes of (unintentional??) slapstick make "Girl Boss Guerrilla" such a fascinating and compelling experience. There's the priest with an STD, sentimental guitar singing by a long- haired Japanese hippie and the random kidnapping of a boxing instructor's daughter. Excellent acting performances from the stunning Miki Sugimoto, the even more stunning Reiko Ike – who strangely enough keeps her clothes on throughout the whole film – and a whole lot of other unscrupulous Japanese beauties.

... because of the moments that are supposed to be funny, but just come off as juvenile instead. If those parts were taken out, this could be a great film. Stick with "Criminal Woman: Killing Melody" instead.

The idea of a Japanese biker gang comprised of females is a good one, but they don't do enough "criminal" activity to be believable, though their attempts at blackmailing are pretty fun to watch. The soundtrack is good (except for that song by that awful hippie singer), and the fashions are top notch, but that humor kills it. I'd expect that in some bland Hollywood comedy, but not from this genre.

If you do like this, you'll love "Criminal Woman: Killing Melody." That's almost a guarantee.